Quick Utah Get-away

I got my little adventure finally.  We took my 4 wheeler up to Cedar City for some TLC so it's ready for spring.  After talking about some barbecue, Chris recommended Sonny's BBQ so we grabbed some before heading up Cedar Mountain.  Good grub by the way...looks like another favorite place to eat in Cedar.

We stopped at Wood's Ranch, it's still really covered with snow.  If you know Cassy, you know she loves snow.  She must have rolled around in it for 15 minutes before doing anything else.  

And if you know Shelby, you know she just wants to play fetch.  

Click on the photo to watch. 

We headed up to the top of the mountain and turned around at Midway.  The wind was really chilly up there and we weren't prepared to hang out in it but we did let the dogs get out and play a bit more.  

She was trying to catch snowballs.  I thought she was going to dig half way to China to find one of them. 

With that being said, here's another video for you.

When getting back to town I shopped at a cute little shop on the main drag called Country and More...I think.  It's in the old Bulloch Drug building.  Cute stuff...I bought a couple of frames.  An early dinner at Lupitas...Timm's favorite Mexican restaurant and we headed home.  I'm glad he took the day off to go with me, I really enjoyed it...and the girls did too. 

Adventure in Hope, AZ

It's been several years since we've headed south into Hope, AZ for some great ATV riding with friends.  With new tires on the quads, adventure was calling our name.  One of our great friends, Dennis and his wife Sally now snowbird there after spending a week there with us about 4 years ago.  Charlie and Jeannie were the first reason we went, and Hope, AZ has never dissapointed since.  This year, Alan and Liz came with us for a 4 day adventure riding and exploring the hills and valleys around Ramblin' Roads RV Park. 

 

On our first day we ventured over to King Tut Mine...and you know I had to go in and check it out.  There is a small cemetary on the way there. 

Dennis has a new dog, her name is Lucy.  She LOVES to ride his quad and she lets everyone know it by barking and yipping like crazy.

Cassy also went out with us on Friday.  I thought she was a unique dog because she rode quads, but down there she is just another ordinary dog since almost all of them go riding.  As a proud parent, I'd like to report she road 48 miles through some rough spots and did an awesome job.  I gotta tell you though, she was whooped when we got back.  It's been a long time since she, and us as well, have been on our quads and put some decent miles on them. 

We headed up to a high point after lunch...and what a view!  Dennis figured we climbed about 1200 feet, and around here that's pretty dang high.

 

A person could see a hundred miles it seemed.  Which trail was next?

Saturday's ride took us out to petroglyph rock where we ran into a LARGE group of riders.  The Salome ATV club was hosting a group from Phoenix.  There had to be 45-50 ATVs and sidexsides with about 75 riders.  I climbed up on the rock and couldn't get all of them in the picture. 

From there we headed over to Jailhouse Rock.  Sadly, kids have been out there and have been marking it up with graffiti. We headed over and down Tank Pass (it's fun and full of large rocks to go over).  We stopped for lunch in a shady spot in the wash then headed to a 'river house'.  Miners from years ago carved out the bank added a wall with windows and a door.  I'm sure it was much cooler than most anyplace else around.  It was up and over Cottonwood Pass and back towards home base for another great dinner with friends. 

We really want to thank Dennis and Charlie for showing around their winter home again.  We had a blast and looking forward to going back already.  Timm really enjoys the time spent exploring with Dennis.  People don't come anybetter.  Thanks again.

New tires

They're here!!!!  New ATV tires from Rocky Mtn ATV arrived yesterday at noon.  This week they will be on our quads so we can get out and have some new adventures!

Finally....a camping and ATV trip

Gosh, Iv'e been waiting a long time to get out and ride my ATV and enjoy a camping trip with friends.  We were planning on Coral Pink Sand Dunes in Utah, but our ATV permits expired, and there has been a ton of rain in the last week and the cold front forcasted snow for that area.  We changed our plans and headed to Chief Mtn near Caliente, NV.  It was great, a bit on the cool side...but great.  We were the only ones at the trailhead campsite.  We didn't see but just a handful of people all day.  We rode our ATVs over to Delamar ghost town, over Apple White Pass, and more.  Cool crisp evenings were enjoyed around the campfire after great potluck dinners.  Chris, Timm and I were joined by Alan, Liz, Mark and Jan.  Thanks for a great weekend!

Spring Camping In The Desert

It's the end of April and I just have to say how beautiful the desert is this year.  We've had record breaking rainfall so far this year and it's paying off in a big way with tons of color and a green desert.  It's great to get out and see it. 

Timm lead the Dunes and Trails ATV Club weekend ride this month just a short 70 miles from home near Mesquite.  We headed out on Thursday...a cold, windy, rainy day...but we knew the weather was getting better each day.  No riding on Thursday, just relaxing and catching up with friends.  Friday we headed out with Keith in the lead on the way to Virgin River.  Upon reaching our location we found out that all the rain that passed thru (and headed north) had covered the sand bar and the river was just moving too swiftly to play with any safety in mind. 

On our way back we topped out on the mesa and actually found a place Timm had seen on the internet...Double Negative.  It's considered 'earth art' if you can believe that.  Here is the link for more info.

We had lots of day trippers show up on Saturday morning and ended up with 18 riders.  We headed down the mesa and across the river and up the mountain.  Our first stop was at the slot canyon. 

Our real treat and adventure for the day was Cabin Creek.  We were heading up it.  Years ago it was a paved road up the canyon to a mine operation but the road was totally wiped out by the creek and now it is just an awesome trail on an ATV.  Keith's Rhino had a few tight squeezes but nothing he couldn't handle, even the sport quad did an fantastic job.  We also ventured to the Great Eastern Mine and the Key West Mine, along with an old steam engine remains (why it's there I don't really know). 

Oh, Nickel Creek was flowing and had a great waterfall.  We all hiked up to it and had our pictures taken there.  Here I am (the short one) with my BBF Liz.

Cassy rode 80 miles this weekend (Friday & Sunday).  Here she is with her daddy at the stone cabins on Sunday's ride.  What an amazing dog she is.  It was great to get out for the weekend with friends.  We shared great campfires each night and good rides during the day.

A Logandale Trails Getaway

All five of my family headed out to Logandale Trails for a day of riding.  Scott and Christy spent last weekend there camping for Valentine's Day and met some other people with RZRs.  That being said, Scott, Christy, and Chris went on a trail ride with the RZR club while Timm and I...and Cassy...went exploring on our own.  It's been a long time since we were out there and with all the recent rain it was great riding with very little dust.  There were lots of people camping this weekend, but according to Scott much less than last week. I forgot my camera...again...UGH, but I still had my phone with me so I did capture a few pictures to share. 

It started out to be a cloudy day but by 11 or so the some was coming out.  Because it was so cloudy I really thought we might see some bighorn sheep but none showed themselves for us.   We hiked back into the dam and petroglyphs, as you can see the dam has backed up a really nice bunch of water.  Just a couple of years ago we were able to ride all the way in here and to the rocks in the background.  There are petroglyphs all over them and unfortunately the abuse and destruction of a few has not closed it off to all so now everyone that wants to see them has to walk in...at least we can still do that. 

Cassy immediately made her way into the small lake and we played fetch for quite a while.  She didn't have to swim at any point but the water was on her chest in much of the lake.  Then of course, she has to roll around in the sand to dry off...what a fashion statement red sand is on a yellow lab.  I wish I could hide out with a camera to see all the wildlife that makes it way here for an evening drink of cool water.

I truly enjoyed myself today.  It's been a long time since just Timm and I went riding by ourselves.  Even though we didn't ride with the kids, we met up with them and finished off our day together.  Everyone had a great time riding, exploring, and watching others on the dunes. 

A day ride in Nelson

The girl likes to explore what can I say...and pose apparently.  I love this photo of Cassy...so inquisitive. What a bummer, I forgot my camera on this trip but snapped this photo on my phone. It's at Keyhole Canyon and it had rained just a day or two before we went out so there was still water trickling down the falls. 

This is a broad view of Keyhole Canyon, a cool place in the middle of the desert.  Many people visit this place and Scout troops often camp overnight there.

Ancient ones also found this place of great importance to the survival.  There are petroglyphs all over the place.  I wish I could understand all of it, I can catch some things but most elude me as to the meaning.  Scott took these photos, he called it "Indian Graffiti".

Scott, the RC rock crawler he is, had to try to crawl with his RZR at a place we've nicknamed "Bedrock".  It makes a great lunch stop.

All my guys made laps on a short loop on Chris' bad ass Outlaw.  It is one scary fast machine.  He can pop wheelies in 5th gear in the blink of an eye.

Although Christy didn't make it out that Sunday (still suffering from her wisdom teeth extraction), we had a great day riding.  The weather was awesome and sunny.  It had rained most of the week so there was no dust on the trails making it fabulous for everyone.  We covered some new trails that Timm discovered on the DAT club ride the weekend before...some really cool stuff. 

ATV Club Rides Ely, NV

Holiday weekends always bring extra members out to ride and Labor Day 2009 was no exception. We based ourselves in the Ely KOA. They were very accomodating and friendly, the spaces are wide so you don't feel like you're on top of your neighbor, large trees shade every site, and you can ride your ATV in and out of the park. They even offered up a BBQ dinner and breakfast Saturday and Sunday for a small fee. We had dinner Saturday night and Timm enjoyed breakfast both days. Eldora is a mighty fine cook and the proceeds go to the children's cancer fund.

Here we are Saturday morning...28 riders strong ready to head out for a day of adventure. Timm was the ride leader so he gave his required speech...ride with your lights on, wait at turns for the rider behind you, and so on.









One of our prettiest places to ride was Sawmill Canyon. What a gorgeous place this is. We pre-rode this area on Friday and tried to connect over to the next canyon but it just got too rough. I hate to say it but I pulled out the 'girl card' and said someone else was taking my quad over that section. (I know, I know...I've never said that before...I was having a really weak moment apparently) It definitely wasn't a trail to try and pursue with so many riders so like much of the area around Ely, we had to backtrack our way out of the canyon.

Eventually, we made our way to Ward Cemetary and Historic Mining District. Unfortunately, the mining district was not accessible. There were large burms with deep trenches behind them where all the roads used to be. GRRRRR! The cemetary was neat though. Our plan was to go see the Ward Charcoal Ovens from there and to head over the mountain at that point. Another big GRRRRR! You can't get close to them without paying $4/person and the trail that connected up over the mountain is now closed! Two years ago, it was a fairly new ATV trail constructed by the Forest Service with wooden bridges to cross the creek and other neat stuff. Now, it's closed to ATV use and a housing development is built on part of what used to be trail access. It is so frustrating!!!!


Anyway, on a happier note, we also rode on the east side of Ely on Saturday's ride. Saw some gorgeous territory, found an old mine site, many took a steep trail to the top of one of the mountains for an amazing view of Ely, the Steptoe Valley, and more. You could see forever and a day.

We enjoyed lunch in a lush meadow that had a spring and some water troughs. I'd like to hide myself there to see what kind of wildlife comes out towards evening.

Our last stop on Saturday's ride where the train stops to turn around. We barely made it in time. It was neat to see them disconnect and re-connect the train. There was a boy losing his mind when he saw all of us along the tracks and the stopping point. Funny stuff.

All in all, it was a good trip, with lots of wonderful people. There were a few issues that will soon be resolved, and a few closed trails that made it really frustrating for Timm. Alan's quad broke down before the weekend even started. Some major repairs need to be done because the service technician didn't complete his job. I don't think those that follow know how the weight of responsibilites feels for the ride leader. Hopefully, someday they will step up and lead a ride.

Cassy and Shelby camp and swim

On our Red Desert Road trip last weekend Cassy and Shelby came along for the adventure. They got the chance to play in the creek, camp and swim in Meadow Lake. Cassy also got to ride the ATV's...she loves that.

They both had a great time at the lake. Shelby forgot how to swim for a minute...there was more splashing than swimming...it was hysterical. I put the video on Facebook if you want to see it. (Crystal Martin, Las Vegas...Cassy is the the photo with us)

They even shared the stick...although not by choice I think. It was cute though.

A great time on Cedar Mountain

We spent last weekend with friends from the ATV club on Cedar Mountain in southern Utah. It was wonderful to get away from the heat and the rat race to enjoy ourselves in the cool mountain air

Our Saturday adventure to us to an awesome overlook, took a group shot there. Nineteen riders went on an 80 mile loop that day that took us to Yankee Reservoir, Panguitch Lake, Hatch, near Duck Creek, Dead Lake, and back to camp on Red Desert Road. Timm was our ride leader and he did another awesome job. For most of the riders this weekend, this was a new place to ride and explore.

This section was much steeper and rougher than it looks here...honest. Most put it in low hear to crawl up over the rocks. A couple of people even used the 'girl' card and had others take their machine over this section.

Mark and Chris at Yankee Reservoir. Lots of people camping there this time. It's a great place to fish.

Keith was there this weekend so you know we had to have a big fire...this time....a really big fire. There was a fire pit that had to be 6 foot across and it was his mission to fill it. The wood was stacked up about 5 foot tall in the pit. Believe me...we had a fire like this both nights. He was on a mission to burn all the wood...and he did.

Dunes and Trails ATV Club wins 1st place!

That's right, Dunes & Trails ATV Club particitpated in the Boulder City parade again this year. Big thanks to Kevin and Vickie O'Keefe for all their hard work and efforts. I'm pretty sure it was the tank that pushed us into first place. Their son, Shane designed and built a cardboard tank 'costume' for one of their quads. It was awesome! He even used a fire extingusher to blow puffs of smoke out of the turret. Wish we your in the parade again this year but we didn't make it, too much going on around here. Again, thanks to the O'Keefe's for all their hard work on this event. I wish I had a picture of the tank...it was the coolest thing ever...so creative!

Memorial Day...part 3

Thank to Alan for sending over some pictures so y'all can see.

Here are some of the burros we saw almost daily. This group actually had 7 in it at the time. Never could get very close to them. They run pretty quick too...not like the lazy ones you see in Red Rock waiting for food by the roadside.

Taking a break on the trail.

No place to turn around up here guys...stay on the lower level.

Another old mine structure...how did they decide where to look for gold anyway. Did they say "This place looks good I guess, let's try here."?

This is the Carrera Marble Quarry. Each tier is about 10-12 feet tall (I know, it looks so tiny in the picture). So gold isn't the only thing they looked for around here. We even found the fountain in the middle of the Carrera town sight. Awesome! They ran wood piping from Rhyolite for the town. You can still see some of the remains from it. Apparently, Carrera was a busy place.